What Just Happened?
by Lin-ZB
Summary: Detective Mouri travels to Los Angeles at the request of his exceedingly rich client. However, his client is unexpectedly blown to smithereens. Luckily for those involved, Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright is on the case! This is better than it sounds, truly
1. Mandatory Exposition

"I hate to trouble you, but could you go get that document from the printer? As you can see, it's a little difficult for me to get around in this building."

"Of course! I'll be right back."

…

"Ah, you're back. Mr. Wright just stepped out, so-Wait, who are-what are you doing? Help, HELP!"

------

Conan idly glanced out of the window as he passed; slightly impressed by the sheer height of the building they were in. A movement in the night sky caught the corner of his eye, but by the time he'd lifted his gaze, there was nothing to be seen but the strange gray-black of the city sky.

A muffled explosion some ways ahead of him recaptured Conan's attention and he whipped his head around to look searchingly down the hall. Next to him, Ran gave a startled yelp while her father yelled and covered his head.

"I think it came from Mr. Watts' room!" the boy called as he dashed down the hall. A harried Ran and Detective Mouri followed behind, sensing yet another mystery.

As they sprinted up the hall, panicked employees from the surrounding offices. Conan had to frantically dodge heeled feet and falling briefcases while attempting to examine the faces of the fleeing people. After all, there was a high probability that the bomber was among them, assuming that the explosion had been a planned bomb. Not that he wasn't going to be able to see them again, he knew that the police would be on this place like flies, especially since this was Los Angeles. Just as the boy had almost escaped the crowd, he felt the sharp, eerie tingle of a killer's eyes on his back. He whipped his head around at the sickeningly familiar sensation, but all he saw was the backs of several suited employees, all following their colleagues. Shaking his head in resignation to a thorough search later, he returned to sprinting down the hallway at full speed.

Conan skidded to a halt in front of the wrecked door, his eyes widening as he took in the scene in front of him. It was quite obviously a crime scene. Shrapnel and soot were everywhere, and one of the windows had a hole smashed through the center. From experience, the young detective could tell that a body had been blasted backwards though the glass, although it looked like he might have been sitting in something when it happened. He ran up to the window and peered down. His hunch was rewarded with the sight of a mangled, blackened corpse on the roof of the office building next door. Furthermore, there was something that looked vaguely chair-like surrounding the body. Instinctively, Conan's nose wrinkled a little in distaste. Explosions were always messy, and the bodies were hard to look at.

"W-What happened?"

The party turned as one to see a shaken man standing in the doorway, a sheaf of papers in his hand. Conan sized him up; spiky hair, blue suit, and that looked like an attorney's badge on the lapel. The man looked completely stunned.

"It looks like someone had it in for Mr. Watts," Detective Mouri said, trying to sound suave. "And who are you?"

"Phoenix Wright, attorney at law," the man faltered. "M-Mr. Watts and I were discussing the possibility of me having to represent him in court sometime."

"So he was a potential client?" Mouri queried.

"Well, yes. I had no motive for this, if that's what you're asking."

Conan nodded to himself. It made sense, of course. Why would a lawyer want a possible client, a source of income, dead? Unless, of course, said attorney was part of a more elaborate scheme and did indeed have a reason to kill the victim…

Another glance, and Conan saw that Mr. Wright was distinctly agitated. Aha! Was his guess closer than he had thought?

"Um, would you happen to have seen a girl near here?" the attorney asked anxiously. "About eighteen, wearing a purple kimono and has a topknot?"

"For the last time Nick, it's not a topknot!"

The muffled, indignant voice came from behind a door a little ways from the broken window. The doorknob had melted, effectively welding the door shut. There was no way that girl was getting out, unless someone could break the door down. From the suddenly nervous sound of the girl's voice, she had just figured it out.

"Hey, Nick, why won't the door open?"

"The doorknob's melted Maya, but don't worry."

Mr. Wright was getting ready to charge, backing up and aiming one shoulder at the door. Conan ran over to him and tugged at his pant leg. "Mr. Wright, please come over here!"

"Wha-huh?" His eyebrows creased worriedly. "Hold on, I've gotta get Maya out."

"No, come ON, Mr. Wright," Conan insisted childishly, managing to drag him over a little ways. If his suspicions were right…

Simultaneously, Ran took up her own position in front of the door. "Hold on Maya," she called. (Conan briefly wondered what it was with girls insisting on using first names as soon as they learned them.) "I'm gonna break the door down, so back up."

"Alright!"

Ran took a deep breath, drawing her arms into a ready position. With one clipped "hi-YA" her leg flew up and a resounding crack split the room as the blast-damaged wood splintered. The hinged side of the door swung inward slightly, revealing a glimpse of a slender girl in a short lavender kimono and a darker purple jacket. She did indeed have a topknot on the top of her long black hair. At the moment though, the most striking this about her was the sheer look of adoration on her face.

"You. Are. So. COOL!" she yelled, slamming the door open as she rushed out, nearly crashing into Ran. "You're just like the Pink Princess! I was stuck in there and you were totally just 'BAM' and broke the door down and saved me! Can I have your autograph? What's your name?"

Ran grinned sheepishly and slid her hand around the back of her neck. "N-no, it's nothing. I'm just good at karate."

"Karate!? Wow!"

Conan watched the enthusiastic girl with no small amount of disbelief. "Um, is she always like this?" he asked Mr. Wright hesitantly.

"Ah, yeah," he replied.

"But I though you said she was eighteen?"

Mr. Wright looked down at him with a resigned, but good-natured look. "She is."

"Oh."

They both turned back to the scene at hand. Maya had managed to calm down a bit, but was still talking excitedly to Ran. Conan was seriously worried; shouldn't she have noticed the explosion? Anyone else would have been terrified; being trapped in a small room while a bomb went off. Then he noticed the way her knees were shaking ever so slightly, the way she took anxious glances around the room, and suddenly her behavior made sense. She was scared, and hiding it.

In the meantime, Mouri was muttering to himself, roaming the crime scene. Conan decided to take a look around as well, before the police arrived. He could already hear sirens through the open window.

A patch of glass shards in the center of the room caught his attention. He crouched down, careful to avoid the glittering edges, and examined what used to be a display case. There were distorted computer chips inserted the base, which had remained relatively intact. They looked like some sort of security system, possibly involving lasers. As Conan sifted through the remains, he could hear heavy police footsteps tramping down the hall. Things were about to get hectic. He stood, brushing his now sooty hands off on his jacket. Just then, a big man wearing a trashy trench coat burst into the room, startling Maya, Ran and Mr. Wright, who seemed to have been discussing the explosion.

"What? You two again?" The man glared accusingly at Maya and Mr. Wright, the latter seeming somewhat resigned.

"Hiya Detective Gumshoe!" Maya said chirpily.

"Hey, pal," the detective replied affably. Then he paused and seemed to remember why he was here. "Wait! This ain't no time to chat! I have to take you all down to the station now so we can hear your testimony!"


	2. Questioning

**Disclaimer: None. This is a fanfiction website and everyone knows that the characters aren't mine. :P (And yes, I'm in a smart-alecky mood, why do you ask?)**

**Be sure to read the note at the bottom!**

---------------------

"So you are a famous Japanese detective?"

"Yessir. Mou- er, Kogoro Mouri."

"I see. So, why were you at the Voltam building?

"Mr. Watts wanted to hire me to investigate a private issue he was facing; I'm not too sure of the details."

"Mm-hm. Who are the two children who accompanied you?"

"My daughter, Ran Mouri and the freeloader, Conan."

"Conan?"

"Edogawa. He's been staying with us for…Um…"

The detective suddenly turned in his chair and hollered out to the hall. The officer who was questioning him didn't understand a word of the Japanese, besides "Ran" but if he had, it would have sounded something like this.

"Oi Ran! How long has the freeloader been staying with us?"

And he didn't understand the returning shout, but Ran said something to this effect: "For a few months, and he's only six! So stop calling him a freeloader!"

By this point, the officer didn't care about the answer, and interrupted. "Ah, look, Mr. Mouri. Let's just move on. Did you have any contact with the victim before the crime?"

"Well, yes. He called me, the Sleeping Kogoro, because he felt that I was the only one who could handle his problem."

"Wait wait wait, the Sleeping Kogoro? What kind of a name is that?"

"You mean you don't know who I am?"

"Er, no. Sorry."

"I'm a world famous detective! My distinctive deduction style has been the downfall of many a criminal."

"Distinctive deduction style?"

"Why yes, you see…"

"So kid, could you tell me when you got to the building?"

"Um, let's see…" Conan pushed his glasses up and cocked his head to look at the ceiling. "The explosion was at 9:17, so we must have gotten there at about 9:10. But we didn't get to the body until 9:20, and then the police came."

The officer blinked blankly at Conan for a moment. The child stared back, then put a hand on his neck and laughed sheepishly.

"At least, that's what Mouri-san told me."

"Er, yeah," the officer said slowly, nodding. "Do you think you could describe what you saw before and after the explosion? That is, if you remember anything."

"Oh sure!" Conan burst out eagerly. "A crowd of people came running past Mouri-san, Ran-neechan, and me. They all looked like they worked there, 'cause they were all wearing suits. The ones I remember were a lady in heels, a light blue suit, and she had blonde hair in a braid, a man in a black suit with no hair, and a dark skinned man with longish hair in a small ponytail. There were others, but I can't remember exact details." His face fell into a small pout.

Across the table, the officer leaned back in his chair, staring at Conan like he'd just sprouted another head.

"Hmm? Whatsa matter mister?" Conan asked.

"Ran, was it?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"You said you were here because your father was hired by the victim to do some detective work, is that correct?"

"Yes, we came all the way from Japan."

The officer raised her eyebrow suspiciously. "Isn't that an awfully long way to come just for a job?"

"A-ano… I suppose…"

"Ano? What's that supposed to mean?"

Ran flinched back defensively. "It's a Japanese expression. Doesn't mean anything."

"You sure about that?" The officer leaned forward, eying Ran with some suspicion.

"Yes!" Ran exclaimed, flushing a little. "And I'm sorry that my English isn't perfect."

"Hey, hey, ease up," the officer drawled, leaning back in her chair. "I was just checking."

Ran pouted a little in her chair.

"Anyway, so you, the kid, and your dad were in the building at the time of the explosion?"

"Yes."

"Did you see anyone suspicious at the time?"

"I thought I saw something in the sky, a little before the explosion… But I don't know. And I couldn't see anyone in detail when the employees came running down the hall."

The officer sighed, running a hand through her hair. "That's what all the others said. It's gonna be impossible to pin it on someone if everyone was fleeing in panic."

"I-I'm sorry," Ran said quietly.

The officer shot her a weary grin. "Don't worry about it. All in a days work and all that, yeah?"

The three of them met up outside the detention center after questioning, with Mouri being the last to arrive. The two children exchanged a knowing look, which changed to slightly embarrassed and exasperated grins as a very harried officer left one of the questioning rooms.

"Well," began Mouri in Japanese. "Now that that's finished, how about we get back to the hotel. It's late, and you kids" He glared at Conan. "Need to be in bed."

"But Mouri-san!" Conan whined. "Aren't you going to examine the crime scene before the police mess it up?"

"Yes," The detective said dryly. "But not with little brats like you getting underfoot!"

Conan 'harumphed' angrily and crossed his arms. He turned his head away, the very picture of a slighted child. How on earth did the "Sleeping Kogoro" expect to solve the case on his own? Okay, to be fair, he didn't have a clue (no pun intended) that his fame was all due to the efforts of one miniature detective… But still. It ruffled his feathers how he was still treated like an average schoolchild, even after he had proved himself to be at least a little smarter than most kids! Of course, he should be pleased that his cover was still secure, and the more he seemed like a normal kid, the safer he and everyone around him were… This train of thought wasn't getting him anywhere.

But of course while he had been thinking, Ran had bustled him out of the room and they were just getting into the car.

"No!" Conan protested. "I want to stay! I like helping Mouri-san on cases!"

Ran looked at him sternly. "It is way too late for you to be up, and besides, we're both jet-lagged. Dad can stay out late and crash if he wants to, but I'm still keeping an eye on you!"

Before the sulking boy was able to make one of his trademark escapes, he was being pushed into a taxi and Ran had buckled in on the other side.

Rats.

-------------------

**Alright boys and girls, I have a confession to make. **

**I don't know who did it.**

**If you haven't noticed by now, this is mostly intended to be a crack-fic (trust me, the humor will come), so there's not much in the way of plot. So I would love you forever if I could get some ideas for the murderer. xD  
**

**Also, read and review! ^^**


	3. Initial Investigation

**Chapter 3 by the end of January, as promised, you ungrateful wretches! (Just kidding, I'M the ungrateful wretch. You guys rock!)**

**Disclaimer: Seeing as this is , I think it's safe to say that I own nothing but the plot and the writing itself.**

**---------------------------------------  
**

To describe the silence as awkward would be to say Phoenix's hair was a bit pointy. The sheer look of disbelief on the attorney's face was comparable only to the look of discomfort on the shabby detective across from him.

"I'm sorry Gumshoe, but WHAT?"

"They think Maya's the murderer, pal," the detective sighed. "It's a little shaky, I know, but it's the best we've got."

"That can't be right! What possible motive could Maya have had to do something like this?"

"Look, I don't know! But she's the only person that could possibly have done it!"

Phoenix shook his head and turned away, exasperated. This wasn't even unfair; it was completely ridiculous. Maya, plant a bomb? Inconceivable!

Nonetheless, he soon enough found himself facing his spunky assistant from the outside of a Plexiglas window. They were both in a somewhat shocked state.

"So… I'm your lawyer again, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so. But Nick, do they really think I did it?"

"I don't know Maya. Gumshoe didn't seem to think so, but they don't have anyone else that seems like a likely candidate." Nick sighed and combed a hand through his hair. "God, what a night."

"You need some sleep, don't you?" Maya inquired firmly. "Get back to the office. I've stayed the night here before." She smiled reassuringly, if slightly ruefully, up at him.

"Ah, I think I will." He fought down a yawn. "But don't worry, I promise that I'll get you out of here as soon as I can."

Maya's smile grew a little. "I know you will."

"G'night."

"Night!"

Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney, returned to the apartment behind his office feeling distinctly exhausted. A bombing? Really? Some kind of Karma was definitely out to get him… The thought made him pause for a moment. Karma. The belief in a universal point system that punished bad deeds and rewarded good ones. _Not_ a certain blue-haired woman with a whip. Although, what if the family name came from a deep-seated spiritual connection they had, an uncanny situation where misfortune always seemed to strike their opponents?

…

He _really_ needed some sleep. Nick stripped to his underwear and threw on a nightshirt, tumbling into bed without even brushing his teeth. It had been a long day, and tomorrow didn't promise to be much better. He'd go down to the police station tomorrow and check with Gumshoe for the report… Yeah…

Sleep was a sweet relief.

The next morning, Nick was flipping through an autopsy and profile of the victim. One Mister Jules Watts, age 67, the president of Voltam Inc., wheelchair bound, and currently a charred corpse in the local morgue. It was a messy case, in every sense of the word. The evidence was sketchy; most of the office was blasted beyond recognition, and certainly nothing was intact enough to get a fingerprint from. There were motives a-plenty; Mr. Watts had quashed almost any rival company he saw fit, leaving a trail of disgruntled and possibly vengeful former businessmen. But the problem with that was that Voltam had been around for about forty years, and after a decade or so of rival-squashing, things had settled down. Any of Watts' former rivals would have surely attempted something before now. That was his theory, at any rate. The police were investigating all Voltam employees to ensure that none of them were linked to one of the other companies, which left Nick free to investigate other options.

For example, the shattered display case in the center of the office. It had shattered in the explosion, but there was no sign trace of what had been inside. From the video feed provided by the security cameras, there had been a sizable jewel inside the case before the blast. Presumably, it had been stolen by the bomber. That led to the possibility that the suspect had merely intended to steal the large sapphire and flee, but had been seen and planted the bomb? But no, that made no sense… If that was the case, he and Maya were the most likely suspects, and they had done no such thing. Furthermore, Mr. Watts would probably have mentioned a robbery if it had occurred just before his arrival.

He was back to the revenge idea again. Nick straightened up from where he was hunched over the file and rubbed his eyes with a slight groan. It was only ten o'clock, and already he was getting a headache from trying to puzzle out the case. He would probably feel better if he got out to the crime scene and did some real investigating.

"Thanks, Detective," he called as he stood and prepared to leave the station.

"No problem pal!" Gumshoe called back.

Nick called a taxi to take him to the Voltam building, and was unsurprised to find the area roped off with caution tape. He managed to creep past it, and once inside, no one stopped him. _Am I really that familiar to the police?_ He mused briefly. That was beside the point, however. He made his way up to the top floor of the building, only to find the Japanese detective and his family from the night before. The detective seemed pretty exhausted, like he had been up all night. The teenage girl was giving him a stern look and looked as if she had just finished giving a lecture. The child was poking around the debris, a look of deep concentration on his face. Nick cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and succeeded.

"Hello!" the child chirped, leaving off his investigation and walking over to the attorney. "The police let you investigate? I thought you were a defense attorney…"

Nick was taken aback. "I, ah, I am. The police and I, we have…" He creased his brow. "I don't know, an understanding of sorts. I'm almost like a detective myself." He laughed awkwardly.

The child stared solemnly at him. "I see."

Nick was saved from an awkward silence by the intrusion of the detective, Mouri, if he recalled the name correctly.

"So, what was your business with Mr. Watts again?" he asked promptly, almost rudely.

"H-He was worried about being framed for something; I think it was a theft. He had received a threat, at any rate," Nick explained.

Mouri raised an eyebrow and leaned into the attorney's face, making Nick step back, disconcerted.

"Um, do you need something?" he asked hesitantly.

"How do I know that you weren't involved in the bombing? You were clearly in the area beforehand the bomb went off. Why didn't the police hold you custody?" the detective asked relentlessly.

"They studied the traces of the gunpowder and discovered that it was an grenade, not any kind of time bomb," Nick explained. "I was out of the room at the time and couldn't have thrown it. Shouldn't you know this already, being a detective and all?"

Mouri reddened. "I… I was just testing you!"

Nick nodded skeptically. _Of course you were, detective._

The Japanese man cleared his throat. "Anyway, Mr…"

"Wright. Phoenix Wright."

"Mr. Wright, I'm going to ask you not t-"

Several heavy, booted footsteps punctuated by girlish squeals interrupted the man. A policed officer entered the room with a young, purple robed girl over his shoulder.

"Mr. Wright?" he asked gruffly.

"Yes…" Nick answered slowly. "I- Pearls?"

The girl slung over the officer's shoulder perked up, twisting around to look around her temporary captive's body, revealing light brown eyes and a pretzel shaped hair-knot on the back of her head.

"Mr. Nick! See, Mr. Policeman? I told you Mr. Nick would recognize me!" She squirmed out of the man's grip, sliding down his arm and landing clumsily on her feet. The officer did not try to grab her, but merely watched with a resigned, weary grin.

"Uh, sorry about this," Nick apologized. "She's… enthusiastic."

"Just keep her out of our hair," the officer said, holding his hands up nonthreateningly.

"Bye Mr. Policeman!" Pearl called cheerfully as the man turned to leave. "So Mr. Nick, I heard Mystic Maya was in trouble." She turned to Nick, her eyes large and solemn.

"Ah, well… Yes," Nick admitted. "Does your mother know you're here?"

"Mm-hmm! And I even remembered to take the train this time!"

He gave a forced laugh, too disconcerted at the memory of Pearl's last escapade with traveling alone to actually have any mirth.

"And who is she?" Mouri interrupted. Pearl noticed the three standing behind Nick for the first time.

"Hello! I'm Pearl Fey, but you can call me Pearls or Pearly if you want," she greeted them cheerfully.

"Is Pearl okay?" the small boy asked, walking up from where he had been picking through debris.

Pearl blinked three times, her eyes growing large again. "Mm-hmm…" she muttered, looking suddenly a little embarrassed.

Nick looked from her to the small child, raising one eyebrow with a gentle grin. The teenaged girl standing across from him smirked, and made a comment in Japanese. The child immediately turned and yelled back at her, blushing a little. He turned back to Pearl, straightening his tie.

"I'm Conan Edogawa. Nice to meet you." He extended one hand. Pearl took it and they shook briefly.

"I'm Ran!" the older girl broke in, putting her hand out as well. They shook hands as well, although Pearl looked a little intimidated. She glanced up at the detective, who rolled his eyes.

"You can call me Ace Detective Mouri," he said sarcastically.

"Like Mr. Atmey?" Pearl asked.

No one quite understood why Phoenix began laughing, nor why it took him so long to stop.


	4. Mysteries

**HEY THERE, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.**

**I AM SCUM.**

**I KNOW.**

**BUT I UPDATED.**

**AlsoIrememberedthatI',.**

**Note: The lamest joke in this chapter is that the lamest joke in this chapter is hiding another lame joke and a plot point.**

**(PM if me if you think you think you figured that out. I'll tell you if you're right. xD)**

**Note pt 2: I literally wrote this and then put it up here. TELL ME if you see any grammar/spelling/other mistakes.**

xxxxx

Maya glared moodily at the wall of her cell in the detention center. She didn't like it in here, never had, and never would. Although, she mused, she would probably hate it more if she actually had committed the crime, because then she would have gotten caught…

"Miss Fey?" a gruff security guard interrupted her. "You have a visitor."

Oh? Maya perked up. Nick must be making a lot of progress on the case if he was coming to visit her again so soon! She bounced off of the bed and followed the guard to the visitor area.

She was startled and slightly crestfallen to see, not Nick, but a woman exuding t he essence of a reporter. Pencil tucked behind one ear, hair in a sleek bun, crisp two-piece suit, and probably a pair of heels on her panty-hosed feet. Maya took the seat on her side of the glass, trying to put on a semblance of a pleasant expression.

"You are Miss Maya Fey?" the woman asked, eyes glittering keenly. She had a deep, soothing voice. Maya nodded mutely. "Excellent! My name is Clover Fields; I'm a reporter with the Los Angeles Times."

"Nice to meet you," Maya replied politely.

Clover took the pencil out from behind her ear and flipped open a notebook that she procured from a purse Maya had not noticed before. "Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

"No, that's okay." What else was she going to do?

"So, what is your relationship to Phoenix Wright? It seems you get into trouble quite frequently, and he is always the one to get you out of it."

Maya turned pink. "W-well, you see, I'm his partn- his business partner! I help him run the office and solve cases."

The reporter gazed at her with level eyes. "Mm-hmm. Go on."

"There's nothing else!" Maya protested, growing pinker.

A smirk from the reporter's flawlessly lipstick covered mouth. "Of course."

Maya glared at her through her blush. "Any _other_ questions? Ya know, that are actually relevant to the case?"

Clover laughed. "But I'm not investigating the case; I'm investigating _you_!"

"That's, uh… creepy," Maya muttered, taken aback.

"But if you want to talk about the murder, that's fine," Clover sighed dramatically. "Did you actually do it?"

"Of course not!" Maya asserted. Her mood wasn't getting much better.

"Alright then, where were you?" The reporter was looking very closely at her, almost like she was studying her, trying to memorize her actions.

"I was in the bathroom," Maya told her tersely.

"Hmm, okay. So you heard the explosion?"

"Uh-huh. I think Mr. Watts yelled something before it, but I didn't hear."

Clover was scribbling furiously in her little notepad. When she looked up, she had her mouth open to ask another questions, but a loud ringing stopped her. She swore and fumbled with her purse, eventually drawing out a cell phone.

"Uh-huh. Yeah. Alright, I'll be there. See you." She flipped the phone shut with a sigh. "I'm terribly sorry, Miss Fey, but I have to be at a meeting. It was good talking to you."

"Ah, you too," Maya replied. She watched the reporter leave, feeling a little strange. Oh well. The security guard came to escort her back to her cell, and Maya followed, lost in thought.

_What kind of a name is Clover Fields, anyway…_

xxxxx

Nick picked around the blast site, distracted by the presence of the odd Japanese family. He had felt a little something in the magatama when the boy had introduced himself to Pearls, but he hadn't wanted to press it. The kid seemed perfectly undisturbed now, investigating the crime scene along with the detective. The girl was standing off to one side, watching the kid with a look that jumped from alert curiosity to wistful nostalgia.

…

Okay, maybe he should press the kid for some details. No child that young investigated crime scenes with a teenage girl watching him like a bizarre love struck puppy.

He strolled over to the boy and crouched next to him, inspecting the same remnants of documents on the charred desk. After a moment, the boy looked at him with solemn eyes.

"Ah, hello," Nick started, losing his train of thought as the boy's sharp look melted into childlike innocence.

"Hi Mister Lawyer!" the kid said.

"Uh… Mr. Wright is fine," Nick corrected. "What's your name?" He surreptitiously slipped his hand onto the green gem in his pocket.

"Conan Edogawa."

KASHUNK-SHUNK-SHUNK-SHUNK-SHUNK

_F-Five psyche locks? Just on the name?_

"F-five?" Nick stammered weakly, too shocked to control his mouth.

"I'm six, actually."

Instead of disappearing, the psyche locks seemed reinforced. Nick gaped at the child. What kind of secret could a six-year-old be hiding that merited that amount of willpower?

"Listen, Conan, I don't know what you don't want me to know, but can't I at least know how old you real-"

Conan's eyes shot open. He grabbed the attorney's arm and dragged him over to the other side of the room, keeping an anxious eye on the Japanese girl.

"Listen Mr. Wright, I don't know how you know about my condition, but you absolutely cannot mention it to anyone else, and especially not Ran, do you understand?" Conan hissed in a voice that did not belong to a child. His eyes were glittering in deadly earnest.

Nick was taken aback. "Uh, y-yeah, okay. Sure."

Conan released a sigh and allowed Nick to reclaim his arm from the boy's grasp. "Sorry. But it's literally a matter of life or death." His eyes darkened with pain and sorrow. "I don't want Ran to get hurt…"

The two were silent for a moment. Conan broke the silence.

"Well, since you know about me, I hope we'll be able to work together to catch this killer!" His eyes flashed again, but this time with a fighting spirit Nick recognized from everyone dedicated to finding the truth. He grinned. It didn't matter what the kid was hiding, not as long as they were able to catch the killer.

"You got it."


End file.
